Telephone line connections at subscriber locations are commonly made with an RJ-type of plug and socket connector such as an RJ-11 or RJ-45. These connectors are exemplary of electrical connections susceptible to failure from oxidation, corrosion, humidity, salt, and the like, especially in the presence of a live voltage on the conductors within the connector.
For example, it is sometimes difficult to establish and maintain an adequate environmental seal in a removable male RJ-type plug, particularly when wires lead from the male RJ-type plug. Accordingly, moisture and other environmental contaminants are allowed to enter such plugs, sometimes resulting in corrosion and/or failure of the connection of the tip and ring connections in the socket/plug combination. RJ-type sockets are likewise subject to moisture contamination and corrosion, as well as being subject to dust buildup. In hot, humid environments, such as in Florida and along the Gulf Coast of Texas, failure can occur within several months of installation. Servicing these failures is costly for the consumer or the telephone company.
Problems may also arise in connection with test ports for customer telecommunications equipment such as remote terminals at customer facilities and the like. It is often desirable to provide an RJ-type connector of the type well known to those of skill in the art, or other such connector, at an external location at a subscriber facility, such as a junction box leading to a house, or a remote terminal of the type described above. Access may be provided by installing a female RJ-type socket which is normally connected to a male RJ-type plug. The tip and ring wires (among other wires in some cases) lead from the female RJ-type socket, and connect to tip and ring connections in the male RJ-type plug, thereafter leading into the subscriber facility. When it is desired to connect test equipment to the RJ-type female socket, the plug may be removed, and another male RJ-type may be inserted into the female socket, thereby providing tip and ring connections for the test equipment. Even though the equipment may be contained in a protective housing, such arrangements are sometimes subject to much of the same moisture/corrosion degradation as described above.
A similar problem may be experienced when RJ-type connectors are employed to connect networked computer stations for data communication. Commonly, such RJ-type connectors are used in components such as servers situated in closets. The temperatures and humidities present in the closets may vary widely and tend to degrade the connections or short circuit adjacent contacts.
Plug and socket type sealant-filled electrical connectors intended to overcome or reduce the above-described problems have been proposed. See, e.g., the disclosures of U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,562,491 and 5,601,460, each to Shimirak et al.